On the 7th of December 2007, M/V Hebei Spirit (146,848 GT) was struck by the crane barge Samsung No. 1 on the west coast of the Republic of Korea. Approximately 10,900 tonnes of crude oil spilled into the sea from the Hebei Spirit. The spilled oil polluted more than 375 km of coastline to varying degrees [1]. Oil contamination, toxic effects on organisms and ecosystem injury were the three main fields in the Hebei Spirit oil spill (HSOS) natural resource damage assessment (NRDA). Among them, oil contamination, i.e. petroleum hydrocarbon analysis is the key component of NRDA. This study introduces the various aspects of petroleum analysis in the HSOS case from rapid assessment to recent development of oil fingerprinting.spilled oil polluted more than 375 km of coastline to varying degrees [1]. Oil contamination, toxic effects on organisms and ecosystem injury were the three main fields in the Hebei Spirit oil spill (HSOS) natural resource damage assessment (NRDA). Among them, oil contamination, i.e. petroleum hydrocarbon analysis is the key component of NRDA. This study introduces the various aspects of petroleum analysis in the HSOS case from rapid assessment to recent development of oil fingerprinting.